This 8 Days Uganda gorilla safari and birding tour takes you off the usual tourist beaten track especially for those seeking to visit Uganda for a wildlife and gorilla safari. This Uganda gorilla safari and birding tour not only offers you more birding safari opportunities, but also a cultural encounter with the Batwa pygmies of Semuliki and chimpanzee trekking tour to Kibale Forest.
You won’t miss a wildlife safari tour in Queen Elizabeth and gorilla trekking Uganda in the great forest of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, ending with the rare shoebill tour at Mabamba wetland in Entebbe. Here, we also find some aquatic birds and marsh harriers.
This Uganda gorilla safari and birding tour is an ideal Uganda safari tour for guests seeking for real Africa jungle excitements combined with birding opportunities for birders, while staying at moderate safari lodges.
Uganda Gorilla Safari Itinerary:
Day 1: Kampala – Semuliki National Park
Leave Kampala after breakfast for the fascinating drive through papyrus swamps and thick jungle of the Nile Delta to Semuliki National Park just above the mighty Rwenzori Mountain ranges. Get your afternoon lunch in Fort Portal and get ready to visit and meet the Batwa at their Boma cultural village, just outside the park.
The Batwa are, as they call themselves, little people and they traditionally lived of what the forest could give them. They were hunter-gatherers who used to get their food, shelter, medicine and tools they needed from the forest. In modern times, the forests of Uganda have largely turned into farmlands and much of what remains is protected as national parks. As a result, the Batwa have limited access to the areas they used to dwell in. So, your visit to the Batwa in their village shall give you an idea of their rich culture. Don’t forget to buy their handmade crafts as souvenirs for your African journey.
Dinner and overnight stay at Ntoroko Game Lodge (mid-range facility). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 2: Wildlife Tour Semuliki National Park
Morning after your breakfast is dedicated for a bird watching experience in Semuliki, so, get ready for a boat ride on Lake Albert for an amazing birding opportunity. Look out for the Blue Swallow, White-throated Blue Swallow, Swamp Palm Bulbul, Spotted Greenbul, White-starred Robin and Lowland Akalat among others.
Evening is dedicated for game drive, through the park that is home to dwarf forest elephants and buffaloes, which are smaller than their savannah-dwelling relatives. It is also a home for over 53 mammals of which 27 are large mammals. 11 species are endemic to the park including the pygmy antelopes and two flying squirrel species. It is also home to the peculiar water chevrotain, known as the ‘fanged deer’.
Dinner and overnight stay at Ntoroko Game Lodge (mid-range facility). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 3: Semuliki – Kibale Forest National Park
After your breakfast, visit the famous Sempaya hot springs of Semuliki National Park. Sempaya Hot Springs are Semuliki’s most famous attraction. The male spring, known as ‘Bintente’, measures 12m in diameter and is set in a lush swampy clearing.
The female spring ‘Nyasimbi‘, meaning ‘the female ancestors’, is a boiling geyser (103°C) which spurts bubbling water and steam up to two meters high. The steam cloud can be seen from as far as 2km away. Local people used to cook their food in these boiling pools.
Thereafter, you will drive to Kibale Forest, and get on an afternoon guided Bigodi nature walk and through the crater lakes area of the park. You will enjoy an outstanding bird watching experience or take one of the trails in the park to look for the stunning green-breasted pitta, fire-crested alethe and Scaly-breasted Illadopsis. Don’t miss the colorful butterflies and other primate species.
Meals and overnight stay at Primate Lodge or Forest Cottages (mid-range lodge). Meal Plan: B, L & D
Day 4: Kibale National Park – Queen Elizabeth National Park
In the morning you will have breakfast and then transfer to Kibale headquarters for briefing before setting off for a forest walk in search for chimpanzees. The forest walk will be guided to provide information not only on chimpanzees and primates, but also on other small organs, which makes it interesting.
This chimpanzee trekking walk will also reward you with other primates like grey-cheeked Mangabeys; colobus and red-tailed monkeys, and a variety of butterfly species. After tracking the chimps, you will drive to Queen Elizabeth Park in the afternoon, so get ready for an evening two hour boat cruise along the famous Kazinga channel. This is a worthwhile opportunity to see a variety of wildlife including hippos, bufalloes, kobs, African elephants and warthogs among others.
This trip also gives visitors a chance to see spectacular birds.
Dinner and overnight stay at Enganzi Lodge (mid-range facility). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Queen Elizabeth Park – Bwindi
Begin your day with a cup of coffee, and get on an early morning game drive along Kasenyi and Queens’ Mile which make visitors encounter elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs, lions, Uganda Kobs and a variety of bird species.
Thereafter, you will drive through the Ishasha sector, which takes you through the unique western rift valley escarpment. If time allows you can take on a mini-game drive in Ishasha sector in search of tree climbing lions before proceeding to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This is the lushest highland rain forest on earth, filled with primates and exotic birds.
Dinner and overnight stay at Silverback Lodge (mid-range facility). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi – Part of Uganda Gorilla Safari
Begin the day with breakfast and get ready for gorilla trekking experience, which begins at 8:00a.m with a briefing from the Uganda Wildlife Authority staff. Ensure that you carry along your rain jacket, drinking water, snacks and jungle boots among other important gear.
The guides will lead you inside the jungle to see the shy primates for a group you have been booked for. So, do not forget to take your lunch boxes and all the necessary gear to track the rare mountain gorillas, perhaps one of the most exciting wildlife experiences on earth. There are now only 650 mountain gorillas left in the world! The tracking may take between 2 and 6 hours, but it’s well worth the effort.
Dinner and overnight stay at Silverback Lodge (mid-range facility). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 7: Bwindi – Kampala. Still on Uganda Gorilla Safari
After early breakfast, you will drive back to Kampala, through the Uganda Equator crossing with your lunch en-route. Meals and overnight stay at Cassia Lodge (mid-range facility). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 8: Mabamba Wetland – Entebbe Airport Out
We have an early morning transfer to Mabamba wetland swamp which is on route to Entebbe Airport. The highlight at Mabamba Swamp is a search for the prehistoric great looking shoebill stork. Here, you will also find some aquatic birds and marsh harriers, and if time allows, you will also search for the beautiful painted pygmy goose.
You will be later be dropped off at Entebbe International Airport for your flight back home. Meal Plan: Breakfast & Lunch.
Uganda Gorilla Safari Inclusions and Exclusions:
Includes
- Airport Transfers
- Transportation by a 4wd safari vehicle
- Accommodation and meals as per the itinerary
- Chimp permits
- One Gorilla permits per person to be secured and paid for in advance
- Birding excursions
- Canoe ride at Mabamba for Birding
- Park fees
- Game drives
- Services on an English speaking Professional Bird guide.
Excludes
- Airfares,
- Visas or Insurance,
- Tips to local guides,
- Porterage or Laundry,
- Soft or alcoholic drinks or mineral water (excl. water in the vehicles),
- Items of a personal nature,
- Any meals not indicated above and,
- Any tours not mentioned from the itinerary above